Turkey’s 2-0 away defeat at the hands of struggling Belgium on Oct. 10, coupled with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s earlier 2-0 win in Estonia on the same day, was the last straw because it put an end to the Turks’ flimsy hopes of finishing second in the group and earning a playoff berth.Terim had coached Turkey since 2005 and took his side to the semifinals of Euro 2008 with a series of last-gasp victories before losing to Germany. However, Turkey’s campaign in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup was hit by an endless string of injuries and lackluster performances.
Terim, whose contract was extended to 2012 after Turkey reached the semifinals of Euro 2008, said the formality game against Armenia in Bursa on Oct. 14 would be his last. And so it came to pass as Terim’s four-year reign over the national team became history.
Rumor mill at work
Turkish Soccer Federation (TFF) President Mahmut Özgener knows more than anyone how the rumor mill in the local sports media works and sounded a timely warning one day after Terim announced his plans to quit following the Belgium debacle.
“It is very natural that there will be speculations and wild guesses with regards to the new national team coach. But before this happens, let me say one thing: The new coach will be someone who will be able to remake the team and ensure that there is consistency and stability,” the federation boss said.
“And I warn, there is not one iota of truth in all that will be said about the new coach. So disregard all rumors until you hear from us,” he added.
And just as Özgener predicted, the local sports media is having a field day and working overtime to manufacture names of prospective coaches.
Among the Turkish coaches Ertuğrul Sağlam, Bülent Uygun, Mustafa Denizli and Abdullah Avcı have been mentioned. The foreign coaches include -- among others -- Mircea Lucescu, Christoph Daum, Carlos Alberto Perreira, Joachim Löw, Guus Hiddink, and Giovanni Trapattoni. The TFF has not made any statement so far, and so we are disregarding these manufactured names, as Özgener advised.
Procrastination thief of time
But this whole thing is dragging on far too long. It is true that the Turkish national team will not be playing any matches until after the World Cup soccer extravaganza in South Africa in the summer.
However, Turkey needs a new coach to prepare the national team for the 2012 European Championship and the 2014 World Cup. Most of the national team’s old-timers -- defenders Servet Çetin, İbrahim Toraman and Hakan Kadir Balta; midfielder Yusuf Şimşek; striker Nihat Kahveci; and goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber -- have outlived their usefulness and therefore must go.
This will make the job of the new coach even harder because he will have to start from scratch in forming a new team. And to get a good result, he will have to experiment with his players in several friendlies before deciding on the nucleus of the team.
This will take time to accomplish, at least several years. So whether it is a local or foreign coach, the TFF must get started. Özgener and his aides might think they have all the time in the world. But that might not be the case because the new coach will need time, and plenty of it, to form a team that will meet the expectations of the soccer-loving Turks. Oh Özgener, thou shalt not procrastinate.
National
